Univision Radio cancels popular ‘Piolín’ show

Eddie ‘Piolín’ Sotelo during one of his shows in 2008 (Associated Press file photo)

In June, Piolín, aka Eddie Sotelo, host of the popular radio show “Piolín por la Mañana” was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. A month later, on Monday, he delivered his last program, which was replaced with music.

The radio network wasn’t offering much of an explanation for canceling one of its most popular nationally syndicated shows, but today Univision announced that the two parties agreed on the split after a decade of the show.

Spanish for “Tweety Bird,” Piolin’s has been credited with propelling immigrants and others to join a wave of immigration marches in Los Angeles a few years ago.

The Washington Post reported that his average audience topped 3 million people, according to independent estimates, but also noted that his ratings had dipped recently.

“He talked about everything from politics to sexual preferences in an entertaining, funny and provocative way that captivated a diverse Latino audience,” said Federico Subervi, professor of communications at Texas State University in San Marcos.